imploringly

American  

[im-plawr-ing-lee] / ɪmˈplɔr ɪŋ li /

adverb

1. in a way that expresses urgent or piteous pleading, as for aid or mercy; beseechingly.

   "No! Don't kill the spider!" gasped my daughter, looking imploringly into my eyes.

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Etymology

Origin of imploringly

implor(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

When you do or say something imploringly, you're trying to plead with someone for something. People act imploringly when they really need help. Have you ever had someone look at you with big puppy-dog eyes, hands pressed together, saying "Please, please, help me with this?" They looked at you — and spoke to you — imploringly. A beggar on the street might look at you imploringly with his hand out. A kid might look at her mom imploringly when the ice cream truck goes by. This is a strong word for when people really need or want something and are trying hard to get it.

Example Sentences

In almost every case, at least one man, woman or child looks out from the penurious scene and stares squarely at the viewer, imploringly.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 31, 2023

The dancers, their arms reaching imploringly, move vividly and broadly as if washing the stage with brushstrokes.

From New York Times • Oct. 18, 2021

Several times she beseeched the crowd to quieten down, gently at first, imploringly: “It really puts me uptight and I forget the words and I get nervous,” she told them three songs in.

From The Guardian • Jul. 7, 2020

His most recent album is titled, almost imploringly, “The Blues Is Alive and Well,” and one of the cuts is “A Few Good Years”:

From The New Yorker • Mar. 4, 2019

So he patiently broke twig after twig till he had made a little hole through which he peeped, saying imploringly, ‘Let me in! Let me in!’

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Related Words

• compellingly
• eagerly
• earnestly
• frantically
• hastily
• vigorously